Technique for checking if email was opened

Startbeitrag von Joel am 10.02.2015 13:51

Hi all -

I'd like to be able to record if an email that the system sent out was opened and store that info in a table. Now, of course, I could just put a link in the email and require users to click the link to get to the actual email, but that seems Klutzy.

Does anyone have a technique that they've used?

Antworten:

Hi Joel,

You can't be sure about that, because many email clients are blocking this kind of automatic feedback. Adding to what you suggested, you can also:

1. You can ask for a return receipt.
2. You can also simply have an AWP page that sends back a picture. Like inserting a 1x1 pixel image with a source reference like: www.mysite.com/tracker.awp?id=123abc. Then the awp page matches the ID 123abc to the good client account, mark the email as "probably displayed since image sent" and returns an image (1x1 transparent pixel in png format for example). This is the industry standard, but will not work in most email clients since remote images are blocked by default.

Some try to do it by adding links to an image fields (in a html email), and this link goes to an awp page that records it... But most emailer today are blocking all external links for that exact reason.

Most emailer also do not answer to a return receipt question without a confirmation from the user.

So, basically, only a voluntary action from the user, as you described with your link, will tell you that he/she read the message (and decided to click)